The Soun of Ogbomosoland, in Oyo State, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, has reportedly joined his ancestors.
The First Class monarch, who ascended the throne on October 24, 1973, and had two national honours of CON and CFR, was said to have died in his sleep in the early hours of Sunday, at the age of 95.
The reign of the monarch as the Soun of Ogbomosho land, Oyo State, spanned 48 years.
Born on May 27, 1926, in Ogbomoso to Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II and Ayaba Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi, he ascended the throne on October 24, 1973.
He had his elementary education at St. Patrick Primary School, Oke Padre, Ibadan from 1932-1938. In 1938, he attended the Ogbomoso People’s Institute, which was later transformed into Ogbomoso Grammar School.
Oba Oladunni cut his business teeth by trading in woven textiles, which took him on trading trips to Ilesa, among other locations.
He formed a limited liability company in 1967 called J.O. Oyewumi and Co Nigeria Ltd, which specialised in wholesale and retail trading. From a modest beginning, the business expanded to include real estate and hospitality. He established the famous Terminus Hotel and El-Duniya Hotel in Jos.
Through hard work, continuous self-improvement (including enrolment in evening educational schools to improve his education), he was appointed as a distributor for the French-owned trading firm CFAO in 1954. Prince Oyewumi, as he was popularly known, made his inaugural business trip abroad in 1958.
The trip took him to Hamburg and Bremen in then West Germany; Paris and Marseille in France and London, United Kingdom. During his stay in Europe, he was able to explore opportunities for expanding his business by meeting businessmen and visiting factories.
Nnenna.O
